These last couple of months something has been missing from our house that really makes it feel like home. Two things actually. The first being that none of my artwork isn't hanging up on the walls yet. But the most important thing is not having a flower arrangement near the front door. Today I have remedied that.

Curly Willow, Baby Mums, and Blazing Star

The Japanese have a small alcove in their homes called the tokonoma. This is like a sacred space where beautiful items, flower arrangements, or scrolls are showcased to represent the changing seasons. Since beginning ikebana I have tried to create a tokonoma area in our house for my flower arrangements and all my nature collections. Who doesn't have a pile of bones on display in their living room? It's always nice to have one little place in your house that's for special display.

I got to go out and run some errands this morning without husband or baby so I stopped by Awesome Blossom to pick up flowers and ask about teaching classes. They were so nice letting me rummage around in their cooler trying to decide on what I wanted to arrange. I'm a sucker for chartreuse mums and curly willow.

I've been hankering to arrange flowers since Christmas because Ura sensei would always give us beautiful flower bundles for Christmas and New Years. There would always be fun sparkly white branches or red berries. Awesome Blossoms shipment of flowers was supposed to come in a couple of hours so they were a little low on the variety front. Besides it's after New Years and time to move past pine boughs and holly. Though I do have my eye on a pine tree in our neighborhood for a cascading arrangement. I just haven't worked up the courage to go out and get it.

Now there's a beautiful arrangement in the living room and enough left over for Ian's desk bouquet. Our house is slowly getting more put together and it feels wonderful.